Hello and Happy French Friday! Excited to be bringing you a delightful escapist read set in France this week by Gillian Harvey, who I wrote about earlier this year for one of my #summerreads picks, One French Summer.
Harvey is an author and freelance writer living in France whose books are reliable good reads, fun, and often funny stories that will have you dreaming of selling everything and moving to France because, despite everything, her protagonists end up making things work.
Her latest is The French Chateau Escape and I’m excited to join other book reviewers and bookstagrammers on the official blog tour!
From the publisher:
Click buy: a French chateau. Condition: ‘may require improvement’…
It seemed like a good idea. Selling everything we owned. Just Mark and me, swapping our tiny, little, terraced London home – and the heartbreak of not being able to start a family – for an entire chateau in the middle of France… It’s everyone’s dream. And now it’s coming true for us.
As I use the rusty key to open the big, creaking wooden door of the tumbledown fairytale chateau that’s officially our new home, I wonder: what could possibly go wrong?
Little do I know that the answer is going to be… ‘everything’. I don’t speak nearly as much French as I should yet, but I feel like there’s no mistaking the villagers’ hostility. Nor the look of shock on the builder’s face when he sees the roof.
Can our marriage survive this adventure? With all the tumbling masonry, will we?
As the French sun blazes overhead, one thing’s for sure: it’s going to be a year to remember…
Though the blurb sounds light-hearted, this is a bit more than a fun “Brits move to France and encounter challenging, sometimes hilarious situations” read. Emma’s dad suffers from serious mental health issues and the stress of aging parents (in another country) is a theme that runs throughout the book. Emma and Mark have their own challenges both health-wise and related to starting a family so, as well as all the issues that come with purchasing a rundown chateau in rural France, they are dealing with serious life issues too.
I’ve read all of Harvey’s novels set in France and I think this one might be my favourite because it doesn’t just show the “French dream” aspect of the story. Having bought and renovated a house in France, I appreciated so much of what she shares about the process. It’s definitely a “feel good” read (in the end) with a lot of very realistic scenarios depicted (so. much. paperwork. to deal with when moving to/ renovating in France). You’ll finish this in one or two sittings so grab a hot chocolate or a glass of wine and settle in for the ride. A great armchair read!
Check out some other places where you can read reviews of The French Chateau Escape!
Check out Harvey’s other novels here and follow her on Instagram.
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Disclosure: I received a copy of the e-book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. I am not receiving any compensation for doing so. Neither the author nor the publisher reviewed this post prior to publication. All opinions are my own.
Buy The French Chateau Escape on Amazon (this affiliate link should bring you to the Amazon store in, or closest to, your country). For free worldwide shipping, you can purchase from Blackwell’s or support your local Indie bookstore by purchasing from Bookshop.org
Please note: This post contains affiliate links. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. This post also contains affiliate links for Blackwells and Bookshop.org. This means that if you click over and purchase something, I will receive a very small percentage of the purchase price (at no extra cost to you). Thank you in advance!
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